Choice between Canadian singers no titanic battle for UFC's Kennedy

Dave Deibert, Postmedia News04.14.2014

Prior to The Ultimate Fighter Nations season finale, Tim Kennedy was interviewed after an open training session for UFC fans and media at the Centre Commercial Place Fleur de Lys on April 13, 2014 in Quebec CityJosh Hedges
/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Middleweight Michael Bisping, of England, left, shouts at his opponent Tim Kennedy, of the United States, at the weigh in for the UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter Nations" event in Quebec City on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Bisping and Kennedy did plenty of jawing but kept the peace as they made weight Tuesday ahead of their main event showdown on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

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Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Canada on Wednesday with The Ultimate Fighter Nations season finale in Quebec City. In the main event between a pair of top-10 middleweights, Tim Kennedy squares off against Michael Bisping. Taking a break from his fight preparations, Kennedy went 1-on-1 with Postmedia News mixed-martial-arts reporter Dave Deibert, discussing his daughters dating, an unforgettable autograph request and a Canadian musician he won’t be rushing out to download …

POSTMEDIA: You’re main eventing in Canada so here’s a Canadian question: Celine Dion or Justin Bieber?

KENNEDY: Do I have to actually respond to this?

POSTMEDIA: You do not.

KENNEDY: Celine Dion, without a doubt. She’s an artist. She’s a musician. I have a lot of respect for her. Justin Bieber sucks.

POSTMEDIA: You’re a pretty good piano player, correct?

KENNEDY: There was a time that I loved the piano and I played a lot.

POSTMEDIA: If you were dropped into a piano bar, what kind of tips would you generate in a night?

KENNEDY: Because I’m a good performer, I would do well in the tips. My hands are not what they used to be. I’ve been fighting for 12 years now. I still play. I still have a keyboard in my office. But I’m embarrassed at the level of skill that’s depreciated over time.

POSTMEDIA: You’re the father of two daughters. How are you going to welcome the boys when they come to take your girls out on a date?

KENNEDY: I have two beautiful daughters. When guys show up, they’re going to come inside. They’re going to talk to me before the girls leave. If not, the girls aren’t going to leave. I’ll blow the car up (laughs). When they’re inside, they’re going to come into my office. My office has some of my hunting trophies, and things from Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan (where Kennedy served as a Green Beret). We’ll talk about where they came from. I’ll have him help me clean my gun. When my daughter’s ready – she’ll take her time getting ready because she’s a smart girl – when she comes in, I’ll be clear about what time they’re going to come home. When he comes home, on time, not a minute late, they’ll come in and talk to me. We’ll go back to my office and talk about how the evening was. It’ll be a wonderful night for him.

POSTMEDIA: When no one’s around, what guilty-pleasure TV show do you watch religiously?

KENNEDY: I read more than I watch TV shows. A guilty pleasure would probably be me reading crazy fantasy novels or geek graphic novels, Walking Dead-stuff.

POSTMEDIA: When you started fighting, you were still going to university. What’s the worst injury you went to class with?

KENNEDY: In college I blew my knee out and I lost my pro debut. When I went to class, my one eye was swollen closed. I had stitches across my nose and underneath my eye. Another time, I came in with a full knee brace after blowing my ACL in my sophomore year. I think they were, like, ‘What is wrong with this guy?’

POSTMEDIA: Strangest autograph request?

KENNEDY: Not the strangest but the coolest. Somebody used a 3D printer and printed off a table-top sized version of me riding a unicorn, wearing a sombrero, with a bandolier across my chest. Dead serious. He wanted me to sign it. Which I did, with pride. And sent it back to him.

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